Examples Of Feminist Stereotypes In Hedda Gabler

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Henrik Ibsen’s Hedda Gabler challenges feminine stereotypes through following the life of Hedda, who longs to find excitement in her mundane marriage. After her recent marriage to Tesman, Hedda returns to her new home only to hate its lackluster appearance, which corresponds to her disappointment in her new husband. Marriage traps Hedda in a world where she has little to do besides entertain guests, who she quickly manipulates to satisfy her own self interest. However, as her trickery progresses, Hedda loses control of other characters, and attempts to redeem herself through the use of pistols. Pistols continuously appear in Hedda Gabler, yet their role in the play changes as situations grow more troublesome.
At first, pistols are solely a lighthearted topic of conversation, yet they gradually become present as situations grow more serious. Mrs. Elvsted first introduces the image when she initially speaks with Hedda about Lovborg’s past lover. She recalls a past event by explaining how this mysterious woman tried to shoot Lovborg with a pistol when he left her (25). While both women laugh about the situation, Hedda knows that the story is actually about herself. At this point in the play, pistols are only mentioned in a story from the past, yet their role in Hedda Gabler evolves into a tangible object weighed down by
The set would therefore need to incorporate femininity and delicacy to truly make a pistol contrast from the overall tone of Hedda’s home. This could be achieved by featuring floral patterns and light colors, along with fragile objects and lots of sunlight. These small details and elements will therefore create a cohesive world between expectations for a woman’s home and her actions. When Hedda brings a gun onstage and actually fires at Brack, she sticks out of her world and presents herself in a strong and masculine which contradicts her living room

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